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Coordinates: 35°05′49″N 129°00′32″E / 35.097°N 129.009°E / 35.097; 129.009
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{{Short description|Town within Busan, South Korea}}
[[File:Gamcheon Colored Houses, Busan, Korea.jpg|right|thumb|Gamcheon Culture Village]]
{{Infobox settlement
'''Gamcheon Culture Village''' ({{ko-hhrm|보수동 책방골목|寶水洞 冊房-}}) is a town of [[Gamcheon-dong]], [[Saha District]], [[Busan]], [[South Korea]]. The area is known for its steep streets, twisting alleys, and brightly painted houses, which have been restored and enhanced in recent years to attract tourism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2971718|title=By day or night, Busan more than just beaches|last=Sunwoo|first=Carla|date=2013-05-18|website=|publisher=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|access-date=2015-11-06}}</ref>
| name = Gamcheon Culture Village
| image_skyline = File:Gamcheon Houses, 2024.jpg
| caption = An overlook of the Gamcheon colorful houses near the entrance, March 2024
| settlement_type = Town
| coordinates = {{Coord|35.097|129.009|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map =
| website = [https://www.gamcheon.or.kr/ www.gamcheon.or.kr]
| module = {{Infobox Korean name
|hangul=감천문화마을
|hanja=甘川文化마을
|rr=Gamcheon munhwa maeul
|mr=Kamch'ŏn munhwa maŭl
|child = yes
}}
| image_map = {{Infobox mapframe|zoom=14}}
}}

'''Gamcheon Culture Village''' ({{Korean|hangul=감천문화마을}}) is a town within [[Gamcheon-dong]], [[Saha District]], [[Busan]], South Korea. The area is known for its layered streets, twisted [[labyrinth]]-like alleys, and brightly painted houses, which have been restored and enhanced in recent years to attract tourism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2971718|title=By day or night, Busan more than just beaches|last=Sunwoo|first=Carla|date=2013-05-18|website=|publisher=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|access-date=2015-11-06}}</ref> Built on a steep mountain-side slope, the village has been [[nickname]]d "Korea's [[Santorini]]" and the "[[Machu Picchu]] of Busan".<ref>{{cite web | title = Busan Gamcheon Culture Village | work = Destinations by Region | publisher = Imagine Your Korea | url = http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1998211 | accessdate = 2018-11-11 }}</ref>

== History ==
Gamcheon Village was built during the 1920s and 1930s when the Busan city administration decided to relocate the working-class population into an area secluded from the [[port of Busan|port]], yet close enough to provide labor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Oh|first=Mi-il|title=The Spatial Arrangement and Residential Space of a Colonial City: The Spatiotemporally of Hill Villages in Busan|url=https://www.ekoreajournal.net/issue/view_pop.htm?Idx=3630|accessdate=2019-07-26}}</ref> In the midst of a post-[[Korean War|war]] recovery in 1955, around 800 families moved to the village, contributing to the growth of an ascetic religious community known as Taegeukdo, a branch of [[Jeungsanism]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|author=Frances Cha|title=Gamcheon: Is this Asia's artsiest town?|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/busan-gamcheon-village/index.html|access-date=2020-07-31|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref> A long-time resident noted the village's development throughout the decades: "Gamcheon was only one district in 1950, now it’s nine. In the ’70s there were only houses made of wood. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, families started to get bigger so they built two-level houses." Nonetheless, the village faced persisting poverty and poor living conditions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=SAHA-GU: Gamcheon Cultural Village {{!}} english|url=https://www.edcities.org/en/proyectosg/saha-gu-gamcheon-cultural-village/#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20the%20Gamcheon,each%20other%20on%20the%20hillside.|access-date=2020-07-31|website=www.edcities.org}}</ref>

In 2009, the [[Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]] carried out a public art-themed renovation effort to convert the village to a cultural hub. It called for art students, professional artists, and residents to maintain, repair, and "decorate" the village with art.<ref name=":1" /> The renovation efforts reached their peak with the success of the "Empty House Residency Preservation Project." With improvements to infrastructure, fresh paint, and other home improvements, the establishment of spaces for retail and museums, and the addition of several dozens of art installations, the village has been reborn as Busan's most colorful and artistic spot.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hong|first=ji-yeon|date=2017-02-04|title=At home in a creative village: In Busan, artists find inspiration in unique live-in workshops|work=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3029408|access-date=April 13, 2018}}</ref> Some examples of the colorful art installations include bird sculptures, [[Takashi Murakami|Murakami]]-like playful installations, scenes from the [[The Little Prince|Little Prince]], and painted schools of fish that guide bearings through the alleyways.<ref name=":0" />

== Tourism ==
[[File:Sculptures from Little Prince.jpg|thumb|Sculptures of Little Prince characters overlooking the village (March, 2024)]] The village has turned into one of the most featured [[tourist attraction]]s in Busan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan|url=http://www.goingsomewhereslowly.com/2018/01/gamcheon-cultural-village-busan/|accessdate=2018-11-11|publisher=Going Somewhere Slowly}}</ref> Since the public art renovation project in 2009, tourism in Gamcheon has increased considerably—the village saw approximately 1.4 million visitors in 2015.<ref name=":1" /> Village residents have met this influx of traffic with mixed attitudes. While some residents have participated in the renovation and tourism efforts, others have opted to move away despite difficulties with selling their homes. It is estimated that 300 local houses were empty as of 2015. Part of the development efforts in the Village include converting these abandoned houses into art galleries, museums, and shops.<ref name=":0" />


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==See also==
[[Category:Saha District]]
*[[Urban regeneration in South Korea]]


[[Category:Saha District]]
{{SouthKorea-geo-stub}}
[[Category:Busan]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Busan]]
[[Category:Gentrification]]

Latest revision as of 04:19, 14 October 2024

Gamcheon Culture Village
Town
An overlook of the Gamcheon colorful houses near the entrance, March 2024
An overlook of the Gamcheon colorful houses near the entrance, March 2024
Map
Coordinates: 35°05′49″N 129°00′32″E / 35.097°N 129.009°E / 35.097; 129.009
Websitewww.gamcheon.or.kr
Korean name
Hangul
감천문화마을
Hanja
甘川文化마을
Revised RomanizationGamcheon munhwa maeul
McCune–ReischauerKamch'ŏn munhwa maŭl

Gamcheon Culture Village (Korean감천문화마을) is a town within Gamcheon-dong, Saha District, Busan, South Korea. The area is known for its layered streets, twisted labyrinth-like alleys, and brightly painted houses, which have been restored and enhanced in recent years to attract tourism.[1] Built on a steep mountain-side slope, the village has been nicknamed "Korea's Santorini" and the "Machu Picchu of Busan".[2]

History

[edit]

Gamcheon Village was built during the 1920s and 1930s when the Busan city administration decided to relocate the working-class population into an area secluded from the port, yet close enough to provide labor.[3] In the midst of a post-war recovery in 1955, around 800 families moved to the village, contributing to the growth of an ascetic religious community known as Taegeukdo, a branch of Jeungsanism.[4] A long-time resident noted the village's development throughout the decades: "Gamcheon was only one district in 1950, now it’s nine. In the ’70s there were only houses made of wood. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, families started to get bigger so they built two-level houses." Nonetheless, the village faced persisting poverty and poor living conditions.[5]

In 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism carried out a public art-themed renovation effort to convert the village to a cultural hub. It called for art students, professional artists, and residents to maintain, repair, and "decorate" the village with art.[5] The renovation efforts reached their peak with the success of the "Empty House Residency Preservation Project." With improvements to infrastructure, fresh paint, and other home improvements, the establishment of spaces for retail and museums, and the addition of several dozens of art installations, the village has been reborn as Busan's most colorful and artistic spot.[6] Some examples of the colorful art installations include bird sculptures, Murakami-like playful installations, scenes from the Little Prince, and painted schools of fish that guide bearings through the alleyways.[4]

Tourism

[edit]
Sculptures of Little Prince characters overlooking the village (March, 2024)

The village has turned into one of the most featured tourist attractions in Busan.[7] Since the public art renovation project in 2009, tourism in Gamcheon has increased considerably—the village saw approximately 1.4 million visitors in 2015.[5] Village residents have met this influx of traffic with mixed attitudes. While some residents have participated in the renovation and tourism efforts, others have opted to move away despite difficulties with selling their homes. It is estimated that 300 local houses were empty as of 2015. Part of the development efforts in the Village include converting these abandoned houses into art galleries, museums, and shops.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (2013-05-18). "By day or night, Busan more than just beaches". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  2. ^ "Busan Gamcheon Culture Village". Destinations by Region. Imagine Your Korea. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  3. ^ Oh, Mi-il. "The Spatial Arrangement and Residential Space of a Colonial City: The Spatiotemporally of Hill Villages in Busan". Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  4. ^ a b c Frances Cha. "Gamcheon: Is this Asia's artsiest town?". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  5. ^ a b c "SAHA-GU: Gamcheon Cultural Village | english". www.edcities.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  6. ^ Hong, ji-yeon (2017-02-04). "At home in a creative village: In Busan, artists find inspiration in unique live-in workshops". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan". Going Somewhere Slowly. Retrieved 2018-11-11.

See also

[edit]